Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture

John Capouya

Aug 2008 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

This is the first-ever biography of the legendary wrestler Gorgeous George, filled with incredible never-before-told stories. George directly influenced the likes of Muhammad Ali, who took his bragging and boasting from George; James Brown, who began to wear sequined capes onstage after seeing George on TV; John Waters, whose films featured the outrageous drag queen Divine as an homage to George; and too many wrestlers to count. Amid these pop culture discoveries are firsthand accounts of the pro wrestling game from the 1930s to the 1960s.

The ideal American male used to be stoic, quiet, and dignified. But for a young couple struggling to make ends meet, in the desperation born of the lingering Depression and wartime rationing, an idea was hatched that changed the face of American popular culture, an idea so bold, so over-the-top and absurd, that it was perfect. That idea transformed journeyman wrestler George Wagner from a dark-haired, clean-cut good guy to a peroxide-blond braggart who blatantly cheated every chance he got. Crowds were stunned—they had never seen anything like this before—and they came from miles around to witness it for themselves.

Suddenly George—guided by Betty, his pistol of a wife—was a draw. With his golden tresses grown long and styled in a marcel, George went from handsome to . . . well . . . gorgeous overnight, the small, dank wrestling venues giving way to major arenas. As if the hair wasn't enough, his robes—unmanly things of silk, lace, and chiffon in pale pinks, sunny yellows, and rich mauves—were but a prelude to the act: the regal entrance, the tailcoat-clad valet spraying the mat with perfume, the haughty looks and sneers for the "peasants" who paid to watch this outrageously prissy hulk prance around the ring. How they loved to see his glorious mane mussed up by his manly opponents. And how they loved that alluringly alliterative name . . . Gorgeous George . . . the self-proclaimed Toast of the Coast, the Sensation of the Nation!

All this was timed to the arrival of that new invention everyone was talking about—television. In its early days, professional wrestling and its larger-than-life characters dominated prime-time broadcasts—none more so than Gorgeous George, who sold as many sets as Uncle Miltie.

Fans came in droves—to boo him, to stick him with hatpins, to ogle his gowns, and to rejoice in his comeuppance. He was the man they loved to hate, and his provocative, gender-bending act took him to the top of the entertainment world. America would never be the same again.

Ratings and reviews

I give it five stars just for existing! Very interesting! This has great stories about Gorgeous George, whom I met as a five-year-old (I think) at The House of Serfas in LA! The House of Serfas was one of my mother's favorite haunts for steak dinners and drinks with dates (my parents were divorced). When the guys were not romantic interests for her, she brought me along (or maybe did so to test how they interacted with me). Ernie Serfas had briefly dated my aunt in the '40s at Manual Arts High School, so that's how my mother was friendly with him. On one of these occasions, Gorgeous George was there and my mother's date pointed him out to me. (I was enamored of wrestling in those days, viewing it as a great way to have a fun relationship with potential father figures entering my life with regularity.) I don't think I knew who he was, but it was impressed on me that he was a "big star"! I was escorted to Gorgeous George's table where I dutifully asked for his autograph, as instructed, and received one of his golden bobby pins from his hair! I think I kept that bobby pin for a long time, but at some point it got lost. Now I know the back story of the guy and the restaurant/bar where I learned to dine on filet mignon!

About the author

John Capouya is a professor of journalism and writing at the University of Tampa. He was formerly an editor at Newsweek, the New York Times, SmartMoney magazine, and New York Newsday, among other places. He is the author of Real Men Do Yoga and has contributed to numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, and Life. He and his wife, the artist and photo editor Suzanne Williamson, live in Tampa and New York City.